


Next to Me

by Sugaredwings (CaffeinatedQueer)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Kuroken Week 2018, M/M, one shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-08-23 02:43:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16610360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedQueer/pseuds/Sugaredwings
Summary: A series of one shots for Kuroken week 2018 — rating may change





	1. Challenges/Games/Bets

**Challenges/Games/Bets** || Detective/Police (AU)

“You tricked me,” Kenma sighed, flinching at the sound of Bokuto crowing from across the lobby.

Kuroo shrugged with a sheepish grin, “not… intentionally? I mean, you’re a part of the group chat. You had access to the information.”

“You know I don’t keep up with the chat. It’s too… busy. It’s mostly you three teasing each other.”

“But you paid attention when I announced that the new Dragon Hunter machine was installed,” Kuroo elbowed his boyfriend playfully before bracing himself for Bokuto’s embrace. Akaashi caught Kenma in a half-hug.

They two counted the “THUD-THUD” of Bokuto and Kuroo patting one another’s backs. As anticipated, Kenma was listed from Akaashi’s loose grip and swung around into the embrace of two meaty arms. He always imagined that being eaten by a boa constrictor would feel very similar to being hugged by Bokuto Koutarou.

Just when he thought his rib was about to crack, Kenma was delicately handed back to Kuroo, who set him down with an apologetic kiss to the top of his head.

“Come on, come on! We got here a little early, so I already checked it out,” Bo tugged impatiently at the cuffs of their jackets.

“And he wasted a decent amount of money on dying on level one,” Akaashi laughed as they lead the group through the arcade. “Hopefully you can show him how it’s done, Kenma.”

Normally he preferred to play games in the comfort of home. Curling up next to Kuroo, controller in hand, was much preferred to the overwhelming noise and lights of the arcade. Not to mention, they didn’t have to get dressed to play video games at home. He was pretty sure that was Kuroo’s favorite part of staying in.

But that didn’t mean that Kenma necessarily disliked the arcade. In fact, despite his griping, having Bokuto and Akaashi in tow made the experience easier. Being able to focus on their little group helped him block out the din of the room. It also helped that Kuroo let him tuck himself under the taller man’s arm.

They had made it halfway through the arcade. The Fukurodani pair lead them by a few paces, Akaashi barely keeping Bokuto leashed by holding his hand. As if it was choreographed, both Bokuto and Kenma stopped dead in their tracks. Kuroo bumped against his boyfriend’s back, embracing him in order to follow his gaze. Akaashi started laughing.

“It’s a new series,” Kenma mumbled into Kuroo’s arms, feeling his face redden.

“‘Kaashi, look! Look at this cow!” Bokuto had already taken off running for the crane machines. “It’s so fat!! Can I have my wallet, pleasepleasepleaseplease?”

Akaashi huffed another short laugh before digging out Bokuto’s arcade card. “Don’t spend it all trying to win a cheap plush. I can buy it for you online if you want it that bad.”

“Noooooo, Akaashi, it’s not the same! I have to win it for you! To show you how much I love you!”

Kenma had wandered to an adjacent machine, face pressed against the glass with an intent expression.

“Which one, Kenma?” Kuro rubbed small circles on the back of his jacket, studying the plushes in the machine.

“The bee,” came the mumbled response.

“Kenma, it’s trapped under the lizard thing.”

“That sounds like you’re scared of losing,” Bokuto challenged as he pulled a prize from his machine. He gave Kuroo a stare-down as he handed the overstuffed pig to Akaashi.

“Bokuto, I don’t want this—“

“Oh ho ho ho ho,” Kuroo grinned, whipping out his arcade card, “I bet Kenma leaves here with more prizes than Akaashi.”

“Loser has to buy ramen.”

“You’re on,” Kuroo licked his lips in thought as he slid his card into the machine. He took care to line up the claw with the imposing lizard. He slammed the button, causing the claw to jump an inch to the right, completely missing the plush.

Bokuto’s claw managed to lift a plush sushi roll a few inches before dropping it back onto the pile.

Both men growled, at both the machines and each other, before realigning their prey.

After a few more failed attempts, Kenma and Akaashi shared an exasperated look. Together they stepped forward and gently nudged their boyfriends out of the way (well, maybe Akaashi could have been a little gentler, but Bokuto’s a sturdy man).

Within a round, Kenma handed Kuroo the plush lizard.

Second round, Akaashi dislodged a sheep. Bokuto accepted it with a barely contained squeal, squeezing it experimentally. Kenma pulled an elephant out from under a few toys, but it was dropped before it reached the chute.

Round three, Kenma successfully acquired the elephant. The sushi roll continued to allude Akaashi.

In the fourth round, Kenma finally won his bee while Akaashi changed tactics to free a smiling lion.

At some point they lost track. It wasn’t until the drop button stopped working that either broke out of their competitive haze.

“Akaashiiiii, that was _my_ card,” Bokuto whimpered at the 0 point balance.

“Ah shit, I had that on auto reload,” Kuroo bemoaned as he pulled his card from the slot. “There goes my bank account.”

“Who won,” Akaashi demanded, turning to count the plushes in Bokuto’s arms.

“Kuroo, how many?”

“Seven.”

“Ahh, have five,” Bokuto shifted the plushes from arm to arm, hoping to uncover another three..

“We won! Way to go Kenma!” Kuroo dropped the toys in favor of swooping his boyfriend into his arms. “Thank god, cause that was the last of my money.”

“Not so fast,” Akaashi interrupted them with a smirk, holding the pig in front of him. “The challenge was whether Kenma or I would go home with more toys. Kuroo has seven, Bokuto has four, I have one, and Kenma has zero. You lose, Kuroo-san.”

“Oh! Yeah! I won Akaashi more toys than you won Kenma!” Bokuto crowed, laughing at Kuroo’s fallen expression.

With a sigh, Kenma started counting the bills in his wallet, “I guess lunch is on me. Come on, I’m hungry.”

Kuroo couldn’t help but laugh, picking up Kenma’s hand as they made their exit.

The arcade was definitely better with friends.


	2. Piercings & Leather jacket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a year at University, Kuroo returns with a new look. Kenma discovers that some things never change.

**Piercings || Leather Jacket** || Skirts/Heels

It had been a year. A weird year, apparently. A year of change and self discovery. In the year between Kuroo’s graduation and Kenma’s, they’d only seen each other in passing.

They still spoke frequently. Kuroo had called almost every night after classes to hear about how the team’s going and to check in on Kenma’s health. Kenma was always afraid they’d run out of things to say, that their interests would grow apart over long distance. If it was anyone other than Kuroo, they probably would have. Kenma was forever thankful for his best friend’s ability to keep a conversation alive.

Each time Kuroo came home for breaks, Kenma noticed the slightest change— easily dismissed and assimilated. At first it was the introduction of simple metal stud earrings. The next time he saw Kuroo, his earrings were replaced with tiny plugs, stretching the lobes. A tattoo ran up from his elbow, disappearing under his sleeve. Kenma couldn’t tell what it was or where it led. He found himself itching to find out.

When graduation finally arrived, Kenma’s mind seemed to have wiped itself of Kuroo’s gradual transformation. Something about seeing his childhood friend back at their old high school had given him the idea that High School Kuroo would be the one waiting to greet him after the ceremony.

The Kuroo before him was a whole other being. Instead of the high school boy he’d been expecting, Kenma was greeted by a full fledged university student. The girls around him giggled and whispered, few were brave enough to actually point. The attention Kuroo was drawing to himself made Kenma want to shirk away, but then he saw that familiar Cheshire grin.

He tried to will his heart to stop hammering in his chest. That was him, that was 100% his Kuro.

“You did it! Congratulations,” Kuroo bundled him up into a hug before Kenma could even react.

Kenma inhaled deeply to replace the air that was just pushed from his lungs only to be assaulted by the familiar scent of Kuroo’s broad chest, tinged with the intrusive smell of leather. He wrestled his arms out to return the hug, and running his fingers across the leather jacket. He wanted to be mad at it for disrupting Kuroo’s scent and changing the way Kuroo fit in his arms, but he couldn’t find it in him to dislike it.

“You sound surprised,” Kenma mock pouted as Kuroo released him. Okay, so maybe it was a little bit of a sincere pout.

“You didn’t have me keeping you to a study schedule for your toughest year in high school, am I not allowed to be surprised?”

He made to playfully kick the taller man in the shin, but only succeeded in bumping the toes of their shoes together. He became instantly aware of how strange they looked together: the wild haired man with gauged ears and a leather coat next to the timid high school kid still wearing his clean cut western style uniform. Kenma could feel eyes on them.

“I’m kidding!” Kuroo reached to muss Kenma’s hair. In the past year, most of the blonde had grown out and been trimmed, leaving just a few inches of faded tips. “I of all people know you’re one of the smartest people out there. Come on, lemme treat you to food.”

Kenma didn’t realize how much he missed walking to the corner store closest to the school with Kuroo. It was such a simple routine that they’d kept for two years. After a year without him there, Kenma fell into step next to him as comfortably as sinking into a hot bath.

Taiyaki in hand, the two settled down on a grassy patch they’d shared with the team on several occasions. It felt empty without Lev’s loud voice and Tora’s laughter, but the warmth remained.

“So Kenma, I know you wanted to move closer to the university so you can see if you like it. Are you sure you don’t wanna apply sooner than later? I’ve been talking to the math professors and they said you can start in the fall if you wanted.”

The younger man sighed. He was hoping this wasn’t going to turn into a ‘let’s talk about your future’ lecture. He’d had enough of those from his mom.

“We don’t have to talk about it right now. Just think about it, okay?” Kuroo bit his lip, giving his friend’s shoulder a reassuring rub. “I’m just… really excited for you to be closer, regardless of if you decide to go to school or not.”

“It’s a lot of planning,” he tried not to whine. He only mildly succeeded. “Yesterday I was in high school and now I have to look for a job and an apartment.”

“I mean… you could just move in with me,” Kuroo’s voice was almost a whisper.

“What?”

“I mean! Bo and I already have rent covered, so you wouldn’t have to get a job right away. And I can make room— we spent most of our childhood sharing your bedroom, we don’t need a lot of space.”

Kenma took note of the color rising on Kuroo’s face, making the previously innocuous metal studs on the shells of his ears stand out. A tattoo curled behind his ear, trailing down his neck and under his shirt. Kenma once again had to fight down the urge to follow it.

“Are you suggesting a permanent solution or just until I find a place?” He was pretty sure living with Kuroo would be torture at this point.

“Listen, Kenma,” Kuroo shifted uncomfortably, reaching a hand into his jacket pocket. “I meant to do this last year but then… then I saw you laughing with Lev and Tora and I thought ‘no, Kuroo, don’t be selfish. Let him experience high school freely.’”

“You were going to give me your second button,” now it was Kenma’s face that burned red.

“Wait—“

“I had wondered why you changed your mind. I spent a good part of the last year trying to figure out if I was wrong to begin with or if I did something to upset you.”

“I didn’t think you’d notice.”

“I notice everything, Kuro,” like the way the callouses on his hands had changed, how his shoulders had gotten broader, the flex of his arms under his shirt, the untold art that littered all of that hidden skin, and of course the nipple piercings that were barely concealed by Kuroo’s loose black t-shirt, “I’m definitely not going to miss that your school jacket was missing its second button on graduation day.”

“I thought— I assumed you’d want to date people in your third year, you know? I didn’t want to rob you of your high school dating experience by tying you down to someone on the other side of the city.”

“Are you sure you didn’t want to rob yourself of freedom in your first year of university?” Kenma eyed him suspiciously.

Kuroo laughed a watery broken laugh, “Kenma, look at me. I have my freedom,” he gestured to his piercings, hand running down his side where more tattoo lay in waiting, “and none of it involved dating. I’ve only wanted you.” Kuroo pulled his hand from his pocket, offering the worry-worn button in the palm of his hand. He almost dropped it when Kenma grabbed him by the collar of his stupid, bulky, sexy leather jacket, crashing their mouths together.

He was happy to discover that Kuroo now had a tongue piercing as well.

Maybe Kenma hadn’t noticed everything. His pulse rushed at the prospect of rediscovering every inch of Kuro.


	3. Secret agents/assassins AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over-observant Kenma finds himself in danger when he witnesses a crime. Agent Kuroo is in charge of keeping him safe during the trial.

Hurt/comfort || **Secret Agent/assassins (AU)**

“The guy over there is going to try to carjack the girl in the blue car.”

Kuroo whipped his head to where his subject was pointing. Sure enough, a blue car was parked on the opposite side of the street. The driver had just returned and was spending a minute to organize their things in the passenger seat. Some skeevy looking dude was creeping along the side of the blue car out of sight of the oblivious driver.

“God dammit. Stay. Here.” He instructed, jumping out his chair and rushing out of the café.

Kozume Kenma stirred his drinking straw absent mindedly as he watched the man chase off the would-be car jacker. The almost-victim remained none the wiser, just a little startled by the sudden appearance of the tall man with wild hair. Kenma hadn’t asked for acute observation skills. He never consciously made an effort to hone them. In fact, in light of recent events he wished he didn’t have them at all.

Agent Kuroo re-entered the café, fussing with the collar of his t-shirt, “okay, now where were we?”

“Is that part of your job?”

“Is what?”

“Chasing down baddies you see on the street like a vigilante super hero.”

Kuroo tried not to let the flush reach his cheeks. He was used to his subjects complimenting him— he was saving their lives after all— but this kid had been a tough nut to crack. The compliment weighed a little heavier from him. “Well, no, my job is to keep you safe. That was just… well, it was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?”

“Nobody else did anything.”

“Nobody else noticed.”

“I noticed.”

“Well,” Kuroo picked up his pen and notepad, “you’ve just been through— you’re still going through— an ordeal. No one can blame you for not volunteering for another one.”

Kenma shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He’d worked so hard for years to move up in his company. He’d respected the CEO for so long. He can still recall the excitement when he was finally promoted to the main offices where he would be reporting directly to Furushima. He wished he hadn’t noticed the tell-tale bruises on the CEO’s son, because once he did he couldn’t stay silent.

Kuroo was right, it was the right thing to do.

“So what’s going to happen,” Kuroo tapped his pen to the paper, making sure he had Kenma’s attention, “is that you’ll have an agent on you at all times during the trial. Furushima is a powerful man with a lot of money; we have reason to suspect that he has Yakuza ties.”

“Are you going to be my agent?”

“We’ll be on rotation. You’ll have me and agents Akaashi and Bokuto.”

“What if I don’t like them.”

Kuroo had to admit, the nose wrinkle was cute. He laughed, “you’ll like them, I promise. And if not, we’re not here to be your friends anyway. We’re here to keep you safe.”

“I don’t want annoying people in my house.”

“Do you want Yakuza in your house?”

“Maybe.”

Kuroo gave him a tight lipped smirk, trying to hide his humor while tapping his pen impatiently. The kid had spunk.

“No.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Kuroo skimmed over the paperwork again. Kozume Kenma, 25, recently promoted from debugging to programming at a high-profile game company. He lived in an apartment on the west side of town. That didn’t sound promising.

“So this apartment you’re in, your employer has the address I assume?”

“Yeah, I’m a little old to still be filing taxes under my parent’s address.”

“And I’m assuming it’s a one bedroom.”

“Studio.”

“Alright, Kozume—“

“Kenma,” there was that scrunched nose again. He had to stop doing that.

“Kenma. I’ll phone in right now and have them find a new place for you. A place your employer doesn’t know about and a place big enough to house a three man security detail. I’ll go back with you tonight and help you pack your things. In the morning we’ll meet agents Akaashi and Bokuto at your new home.”

He could tell that Kenma wanted to argue with him, but instead he just sighed, “is this gonna end up being a witness protection thing?”

“We might have to cover that dye job and give you a hair cut, looks like you’re due for one anyway,” Kuroo teased, gesturing to the remaining streaks of blonde in his out-grown hair, “a name change might be wise, but we haven’t determined if we have to go to ‘tell your friends and family your dead and change cities’ extremes yet.”

A few phone calls and a car ride later, they reached Kenma’s apartment.

Kuroo was pleasantly surprised. Sure, he was working off of some dated gamer stereotypes, but he had expected to find the space neglected and cluttered. There were a few take out containers on the counter and the trash needed taken out, but other than that the space was decently minimalist and organized. It wouldn’t take long at all to pack.

He started assembling the moving boxes he’d brought up while Kenma started pulling books from the shelving unit below his TV.

“The unit we’re moving to is furnished, so you don’t have to worry about breaking down your furniture.”

“I want my bed,” Kenma crossed his arms with a stubborn pout. He wasn’t about to completely relinquish his sense of home. He’d spent the past seven years collecting enough stuff to make the apartment livable, it seemed a waste to abandon it now.

Kuroo sighed. He’d had more difficult demands, sure. Some people got really attached to their entire dining room set or porcelain doll collection. The memory sent a shiver down his spine, he never wanted to see another set of glad eyes staring at him for as long as he lived. “Fine. I’ll have someone by to break it down and pack it up. For the first night you’ll have to sleep on the provided bed, okay?”

Kenma nodded solemnly, carefully placing the last of his gaming systems on the top of a box. Everything he had worked for until now was being taken from him. His dream job, his home, his life, it was all changing just because he did a good deed. He couldn’t help but feel like karma had made a mistake.

A hand in his hair pulled him out of his melancholy as Kuroo mussed with his hair, “don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. I promise everything will be okay. You’re not doing this alone.”

He wanted to complain, but the lopsided grin on Kuroo’s face couldn’t be argued with. For the first time in this whole ordeal, Kenma knew hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to do this one in time skips to make a complete piece, but then I accidentally got invested. Consider a full work where Kuroo realizes that Kenma’s a genius while protecting him and they work together solve some mysteries. They probably fuck as some point but keep it a secret cause that’s not something you’re supposed to do. 
> 
> At the end of the trial, Kenma’s given a whole new identity and Kuroo laments that they’ll never see each other again. Plot twist, “thank you Kuro for getting me into criminology,” Kenma joins the force as a criminal psychologist and they live happily ever after.
> 
> Maybe after In Reverse and Gods are completed. Bokeh needs a sequel too...


	4. Wrong number/Pining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days 4 & 5 have come together to give you this faux Bokeh sequel where Kuroo realizes he doesn’t want Bokuto and Kenma to break up— he wants to be a part of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It isn’t hard to fill in the gaps, but you might want to read Bokeh first

**Wrong number** || Actors/Voice Actors AU  
**Pining** || Swap AU

 

It’d been almost a month since training camp ended. Kuroo grew restless. He felt for certain that something would have changed right now. Either they would have broken up or he would have gotten over it or— he wasn’t entirely sure, but something should have happened.

Instead everything was going irritatingly smooth. He would hang out with Kenma on school nights and they would pretend nothing had changed. They would play video games or read manga or practice volleyball. The only difference was that Kenma’s phone would buzz periodically. And then Kenma would respond. For several minutes each evening, Kenma’s attention was on another person and not Kuroo Tetsurou.

Then there were days like today. On days where they didn’t have school or practice, days when Kenma wasn’t obligated to spend time with Kuroo, those were the bad days. Kuroo felt bad for calling them bad days. They were the days when his two best friends hung out without him doing things he didn’t want to think about.

He thought about them anyway.

He’d seen the love bites decorating Kenma’s shoulders. He couldn’t pretend not to notice the bottle of lube tucked in the night stand. He hated that he didn’t hate the images they invoked. He hated that he wasn’t involved. He hated it, hated it, absolutely hated it all.

Across the yard, he could see the lights on low in Kenma’s bedroom. He felt like a creep for trying to peer across, to catch a glimpse of what was happening. All of the restlessness, the hate, the adrenaline, was making his head float and throb. His vision blurred as his mind dissociated. He was only half aware that he was dialing the phone when he heard it pick up on the other end.

“Bo, hey, I need to tell you something. Please let me talk; don’t talk right now, just let me—“ the silence on the other end of the line made his heart skip just as much as it reassured him. Kuroo took a deep breath before carrying on.

“Okay, you know you’re my best bro, right? Nothing could ever change that. Seriously man, you mean the world to me. I trust you and I know you’re a good dude. That’s why I wanna talk to you man-to-man, because I care about you and our friendship and I want you to be happy.

“Look, I’m really glad that you and Kenma are happy together. You’re good for him. You really energize him. You make him laugh and smile. He seems to relax as soon as you’re in arm’s reach. I mean, he’s good for you too. Your moods seem more stable now that he’s supporting you. Your focus has been better and Akaashi mentioned that you’re taking your future more seriously now. I was surprised to hear you’d applied for university— I always assumed you would put all of your eggs in the Olympic basket. That’s really great, Bo, I’m proud.

“Both you and Kenma— you’re both really amazing, okay? I have the two best friends in the world and they’re dating. That’s great, I’m happy— but— okay listen. It’s not that I’m not happy for you. I’m a little— I’m jealous, Bo. I know it’s my own stupid fault. I was trying to avoid my feelings for Kenma by having that thing with Tsukki and in the process I guess I left him no choice but to turn to you—

“Wait that came out wrong. It’s not that you’re Kenma’s second choice or anything. I don’t think so highly of myself to think that I was his first choice. God, I don’t know what I’m saying… I guess what I mean is: I don’t blame you for my broken heart.

“Bokuto, I’ve been in love with Kenma since middle school. I’ve always kind of known it. It’s been the background noise of our friendship for years. I became so comfortable with pining that I never thought to act on it. I took him for granted. I kind of assumed he’d always be available to me. In the end, I didn’t even give him the option to choose me— wait that doesn’t matter— in the end he chose you.

“That’s what it boils down to. In the end, my two best friends chose each other and I was blindsided, left out.

“It isn’t that I don’t want you two together. Like I said, you’re really good together. God, this is going to sound stupid and childish, but hear me out: I don’t like being left out. I love you too, Bo— I love both of you. I don’t hate the thought of you as a couple— I hate the thought that I’m not a part of it. Dammit, that sounds selfish as fuck, but it’s the truth.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called. I’ll get over it. I’ll—“

“Who’s on the phone?” A deep muffled voice cut Kuroo’s tirade short. It was rough with sleep and distant.

“It’s Kuro,” the second voice was much clearer, right against the speaker, and definitely Kozume Kenma.

“Kurooooooo!” A cheer? A yawn? Both? “Tell ‘im I said hey… wazzee want?”

“I believe he wants to date us. Is that right, Kuro?”

All he could manage was a small choked sound and a nod. Stupid, nods don’t travel over the phone, “y-yeah, actually. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but yes, that’s exactly what I want.”

“Really?!” Bokuto was definitely becoming more coherent and… excited? Oh thank God. He had hoped Bokuto wouldn’t be one of those possessive boyfriend types, but he had his doubts. “That’s a great idea! Tell him to come over.”

“Kuro, would you like to come over? We can talk—“

“And cuddle!” Bokuto was definitely moving closer to the phone every minute. The mental image of him leaning across Kenma made Kuroo smile.

“Open your window, I’ll be right there.”


End file.
